Getting a head start on the holidays

Christmas will be here before we know it and we all tend to get so busy in December. So we’re starting now to gather donated gifts and gift cards, with some special attention this year to kinship families and our kids in Independent Living. With our numbers growing, we will be trying to provide some holiday cheer to more kids than we ever have before.

So we’ll be looking for toys for kinship family kids as well as gift cards for the family, such as for Kroger or Target. We’re also hoping for some donations for our older teens who live in sparse apartments, including appliances or maybe a small TV.

We’re going to be working with Jack’s Closet, the free clothing closet at Clough United Methodist Church in Anderson Township. Members there are working on some things for kinship families, who don’t get nearly the financial support that our foster families do. 

We’re also working with Amber Gray on a new effort for our older teens. Known for her basketball skills, Gray is building her foundation, called Where2Next. She wants to mentor our teens and help them think about their next steps. She and her team are hoping to have a holiday party for our IL kids.

We typically get a lot of calls in December from people wanting to “adopt” our kids for the holidays. We are so grateful for the help. If you are thinking about doing that, feel free to email us and we can connect you with the size and type of recipient you’re hoping to help.

Thank you and (early) Merry Christmas!